Intensives

[Wahine]

So coach gave me yesterday off because I was starting to get sore. Lower legs were complaining.

I did a crossfit workout with him on Wed night and my quads have been killing me since. Tonight I went to the track and after a very slow 1 mile warm up I did pretty well and finished up 4 miles in total. I actually felt really good.

Tomorrow is my 10 km race.

This is going to be very interesting. I'm actually kind of excited.

[Grog]

I am watching attentively as you go through this "intensive" month, Wahine.

I have definitely pushed mental barriers in the past two months, especially as I decided to put cycling aside to dedicate myself to running until the month of March. Now is no time for me to do this kind of exercise, as this is almost the end of my running season, but I will probably try something like it next fall. I don't think it will be 53-mile weeks though!! More like 53-km weeks.

Thanks for doing this experience for all of us. Next time you don't feel like going for a run, remember that it's for the greater TE-public good!!

[kelownagirl]

Good luck with your race Wahine! Post as soon as you can!

[Starfish]

Thanks for doing this experience for all of us.

Yes, thank you, Wahine, for doing my workout for me today! (I assume this is how it works, right?)

[Wahine]

So I warmed up for about .75 miles. The race started, it was very low key, about 100 entrants in total for all 3 events (3 km, 5 and 10). I went out fast as planned, 7:17 and I was tired already at 1 mile, next mile was 7:50 and the next over 8, the 4th mile was slow because I was really starting to feel it, I think it was around 8:30. It's amazing how good that feels when you've been pushing hard. I actually recovered a bit and really pushed the 5th mile for 8:00 min/mile and at that point I was a little puky feeling. Last 1.2 miles was 8:20 pace. So my overall time was 50:00 for 10 km. Almost exactly an 8 min/mile.

I'm not sure how to interpret it all. On one level I'm disappointed in my overall time because I thought that I should be able to average a 7:30 pace. But I came out really fast and held it for 1 mile, that's pretty good. I guess I did what I was supposed to do. I was kind of disconcerted that I tried to run to a level that would take me close to my HR max and I couldn't budge past 174. My HR avg was 167, above my anaerobic threshold, so that was good. But I feel limited by power and leg speed.

Well, I guess that's my summary. The good thing is that I feel pretty good tonight. We'll see tomorrow.

I'll let you all know what coach says when I get my debriefing.

[Starfish]

I'm not sure how to interpret it all. On one level I'm disappointed in my overall time because I thought that I should be able to average a 7:30 pace. <snip> I'll let you all know what coach says when I get my debriefing.

I'll be very curious to hear, too. I can't help but wonder if you might be underestimating the toll that the extra training is taking? But, I am not a runner...just blabbing away here. Looking forward to hearing what your coach says.

[Wahine]

I'll be very curious to hear, too. I can't help but wonder if you might be underestimating the toll that the extra training is taking? But, I am not a runner...just blabbing away here. Looking forward to hearing what your coach says.

I think you're right. I don't think that there is any issue with the outcome today, but this is a really different way for me to train so I don't really know what to expect.

I was just thinking about my volumes this week. I've already hit my highest running mileage ever in one week and I am still planning an easy run tomorrow. That and the going out fast thing... Well, it's really going better than I thought it would. But it's always frustrating to not go as fast as you want to.

Anyway... I'm sleepy.

[Starfish]

Anyway... I'm sleepy.

I'll bet you are, girl!

[emily_in_nc]

Great job, Wahine! I am really impressed with your speed. Question, though, I've been reading some information on race-day tactics (admittedly aimed at beginners like myself), and what I've read says to start out slower and build to a faster pace as the race goes on so that you don't blow up too early in the race. Is that only a tactic for beginning runners?

Emily

[Pika]

Great to hear about your race today!
7.17 for the first mile! Your coach will be happy with that I bet- sounds like you did exactly what you were supposed to do- let us know about the debriefing!
Emily- Wahine will probably jump in here but my understanding was that her race tactics were aimed at a bigger overall plan of breaking some preconceived "barriers" not necessarily to race that specific 10km with the goal of doing a personal best in the most efficient tactical way.
Though if I ran 10km at that pace it would be a PB-I would love to run 10km in 50min!
Good job again Wahine

[Wahine]

Yup Emily, Pika is right. This was not meant to be my best race, it was meant for me to see how fast I can run and the point was to run so fast that I couldn't maintain pace. What my coach wanted me to learn from this was that I can run faster than I think and I can still continue to run. So now, when he asks me to go out and hold 7:45 for 6 miles, I know I can do it if I start out slower and build which is the best strategy for a race of that length. The problem was that I used to think that I wouldn't be able to finish if I went too fast, now my idea of what is too fast has changed. So yes, strategically speaking, you're better off doing your first mile at a reasonable pace, picking it up as you go along and trying to finish the second half faster than the first. That's good advice no matter if you're a beginner or a vetran.

I managed a 2 mile recovery jog and a 25 mile recovery ride today. The ride felt a heck of a lot better than the jog.

[Grog]

On race tactics...

I read in Runner's World recently that some study has shown that women starting off a 5K race faster than they would have normally also finished faster. They advised NOT to be conservative for this type of distance. This was thought to be valid for a shorter distance (like a 5 K) but not for 10K and more, where they kept on advising negative splits (i.e. faster second half).

I am yet to try it. I have a 8K race in March and I think I'll do just that, leave my watch at home and see what happens...

[Wahine]

For those of you interested in the post race debriefing here it is:

That result is exactly what you should expect. While your body gets used to running a lot, you're going to get increasingly slower....for now. When you hit a 40+ mile week, then we'll descend over three weeks back to about 20/25 and start speed. You'll be amazed at how that goes when you have a couple of hundred miles under your belt. Rome wasn't built in a day...:-)

You're doing just right. Most important now is not to overtrain, pay
attention to your body. Mileage is not worth illness/injury.

So there you have it. Straight from the horse's mouth. All's well. The funny thing is that now I'm more motivated than ever to hit a 40 mile week so I can start going back down to my "normal" mileage.

[Shiraz]

Thanks for posting Wahine. I really learn from reading your post. I do truely believe we limit ourselves and set preconceived barriers as you stated. I broke a few personal barriers myself last year by running 6 half marathons in 9months. I would have never thought that was possible for me. You have certainly inspired me to find new challenges and I love hearing about your training. I am going to try your double days. Thanks for sharing. I followed your IM last year. I can't wait to see what this year brings

[emily_in_nc]

This is all great information, thanks everyone! Just reading your reports and information motivates me a great deal. I am itching to do my first 5K!

Wahine, you're amazing. While I'd be thrilled to break the 10:00 barrier for even one mile, you are running < 8 minute miles! I simply can't imagine my legs moving that fast! Truth be told, though, as with cycling, I think I'm built more for distance than speed, so if I never run fast, that's fine too. I'd love to eventually work up to doing a 10K, then maybe a half-marathon, but right now I'm just taking it one step at a time. My next steps are running an official 5K, and running 5 miles total for the first time in my life. Baby steps....!

Emily